Friday, July 31, 2015

The Widow Meets Elijah – 1 Kings 17:12



“So she said, ‘As the LORD your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.’”

As a summary background, the prophet Elijah had just declared to the wicked King Ahab that he had prayed for a drought for the northern kingdom, a drought that would not cease except at the word of Elijah.  Then God removed Elijah to the wilderness and supplied food by a raven and water by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan.  After that brook dried up, God sent Elijah to Sidon (the home country of Jezebel) to this Gentile widow to supply his needs.

Why send Elijah to a Gentile nation?  Jesus answers that for us.  When Jesus was in Nazareth, He read from the book of Isaiah in the synagogue, and then told those in attendance who He was – those in attendance marveled and said ‘is this Joseph’s son?’  “Then He said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.’” (Luke 4:24-26)  When the people heard this rebuke from Jesus, they were full of wrath and sought to throw Him over a cliff outside the city, effectively confirming Jesus’ point.

God told Elijah that He had commanded the widow to provide for him.  Does her response appear to be of one that has just been commanded by God?  She plainly states ‘the LORD your God.’  But God knows her circumstances are desperate and that the words of Elijah would ring as the only hope of salvation for her and her son.  “And Elijah said to her, ‘Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son. For thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the LORD sends rain on the earth.’’” (1 Kings 17:13-14)

What a promise.  But first the widow must step out in faith and not fear.  Fear can be paralyzing.  Worse of all, it represses or replaces faith.  As our faith increases, our fears no longer control us.  Sometimes we need to be encouraged by others to trust God and not to fear.  Secondly, the widow must, in faith, make a cake first for Elijah, then for herself and her son.  Jesus told us not to worry.  “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)  Even though she knew she had only enough for herself and her son, the widow makes Elijah a cake first, and is blessed with flour and oil throughout the drought.  She was also blessed to be reminded of this miracle on a daily basis.  God did not fill up her flour and oil all at once, but on an as used, daily basis.  Such a daily supply from God shows us how real He is, how good He is, and how powerful He is. 

When we study our Bible daily and daily communicate with God in prayer, we will more readily see the Hand of God at work, and see how He is real, good and powerful.  We will also more likely be obedient and get to participate in God’s work.  As a result, our faith will be strengthened and God will be glorified.

May you grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Friday, July 24, 2015

Their Hearts Were Hardened – Mark 6:51-52



“Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased.  And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled.  For they had not understood about the loaves, because their hearts were hardened.”

Now this scripture could have just stopped at how the disciples marveled.  Jesus had just walked on water, passing them by as they labored to row against the contrary seas generated by the great wind.  Peter stepped out of the boat and walked on water, at least until he doubted (see Matthew 14: 28-31).  There was plenty to be amazed at and much to make them marvel.  However, the scripture goes on to say that they marveled because they had not understood about the loaves.  Further, and most telling, is that they did not understand about the loaves because their hearts were hardened.  My friend, sometimes we do not understand something Jesus does.  If the disciples, who were around Jesus all day every day, could have a hardened heart – how is there any hope for us?

Let us look at what God means by a hard heart.  It is the desires of our heart that drive our mind to consider a thing, whatever that thing might be.  In other words the heart can drive intellect, or some might say lack thereof.  When a heart is hardened, it closes off to the truth before it.   “A man may be very sincere in believing a lie, and he will be so much the more sincere as his heart is the more hard. If his heart is very hard, he will lay aside all candor and will settle down in the belief of a lie so firmly that no evidence of any truth, however palpable, will in the least, move him from his falsehood. It will not be impossible for him to believe any lie, however palpable; and he will not only believe it, but he will give himself entirely up to its control; and the harder his heart is, the more confidence will he have in it, and the fewer misgivings as to its truth.” (Charles Grandison Finney)

We saw Pharaoh’s heart was hardened against the truth about what he must do with God’s people.  “And when Pharaoh saw that the rain, the hail, and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet more; and he hardened his heart, he and his servants.”  (Exodus 9:34)  Of course, God had a purpose in that.  He wanted to show His signs before Pharaoh and the people of Israel “and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and your son’s son the mighty things I have done in Egypt, and My signs which I have done among them, that you may know that I am the LORD.”  (Exodus 10:2)  Yes, God wants us to recount generation to generation the miracles He has done for us.  But that is for another post.

Later in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus upbraids the disciples when He is teaching them a truth and they miss the point.  “But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, ‘Why do you reason because you have no bread?  Do you not yet perceive nor understand?  Is your heart still hardened?’” (Mark 8:17) 

These examples should be sufficient to help us understand the definition of a hard heart.  What is not explained in this particular passage is why.  Why did the disciples have a hard heart?  Why was their heart so hard that they considered not the miracle of the loaves?

Have you ever come to the shocking realization that your heart had been hard?  I have.  Let me give you a few reasons you may recognize:  pride, fear, anger, selfishness, and resentment.  There could be more, but those five are fairly interrelated and certainly cover a lot of ground.  They are powerful, dangerous and destructive emotions.  All self-centered.

Just suppose that the disciples resented the five thousand that Jesus fed.  Consider the order of events leading up to the hardened hearts.  The disciples had just been sent out two by two, and been given power over unclean spirits.  They taught repentance,  cast out many demons and healed many people.  Afterward they came to tell Jesus all they did and taught.  It was an exciting time.  Likely the disciples were finishing each other sentences as they could not wait to tell Jesus what had occurred.  Jesus told them to come aside by themselves to a deserted place so they could rest.  They had been so busy no one had even eaten yet.  But when they went to a deserted place, the multitudes saw them and ran there on foot from all the cities.  The disciples’ time with Jesus was again interrupted.  When the day was almost over, the disciples came to Jesus and said “This is a deserted place, and already the hour is late. Send them away, that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy themselves bread; for they have nothing to eat.”  (Mark 6:35a-36)  But Jesus instead told the disciples to give the multitude something to eat.  When they gathered some provisions, five loaves and two fish, Jesus had the disciples organize the people, then He blessed the food, and then He had the disciples set it before the people.  “So they all ate and were filled.”  (Mark 6:42)  It is not a far stretch of the imagination that the disciples could have resented the multitude for interrupting their meeting with Jesus.  Or maybe it was pride about all they had accomplished on their mission for Jesus.  They could have each had a different reason for hardening their hearts.    

Whatever emotion it was that influenced the hearts of the disciples, their heart was hard and they missed the miracle of the loaves.  They missed understanding the divine nature of Jesus.  “It was because they considered not the miracle of the loaves; had they given that its due weight, they would not have been so much surprised at this; for his multiplying the bread was as great an instance of his power as his walking on the water. They were strangely stupid and unthinking, and their heart was hardened, or else they would not have thought it a thing incredible that Christ should command a calm. It is for want of a right understanding of Christ’s former works, that we are transported at the thought of his present works, as if there never were the like before.”  (Matthew Henry)

After Christ was glorified, he sent us the Holy Spirit.  One of the jobs of the Holy Spirit is to help us discern the truth.  We have the advantage of praying earnestly for God to melt our hearts to the truth.  “The influence of hardness of heart, is seen in the different effects which the same truth produces on the mind at different times. How striking is this difference? Perhaps a truth which has been heard an hundred times without any conscious effect, comes, of a sudden, to absorb the whole soul; and why is this? It is because the heart is softened and then the intellect is placed in the attitude of attention, and the truth pours its focal blaze upon the sensibility, and warms it, and melts it, and makes it as liquid as water.”  (Charles Grandison Finney)

Even Christians can harden their hearts.  When you find yourself in some type of controversy, ask yourself:  ‘Is my opinion being formed under the influence of a hard heart?’  If you find yourself disregarding or disagreeing with a precept in God’s Holy Word, ask yourself:  ‘Is my opinion being formed under the influence of a hard heart?’  When you find you cannot tolerate being in the same room with a brother or sister in Christ, ask yourself:  ‘Is my opinion being formed under the influence of a hard heart?’  When you doubt the testimony of a person that has been healed by God, ask yourself:  ‘Is my opinion being formed under the influence of a hard heart?’

If you are growing weary of the ministry in which you serve, take care brothers and sisters.  If we are out serving God and for some reason our heart is hard, we are not going to understand about the miracles of God around us.  We will miss out on so much, including the joy of serving Him.  We may even be like the disciples and find ourselves laboring to row against the wind and waves, making little progress, and then be frightened and not recognize Jesus when He passes by.

May you grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

Friday, July 17, 2015

Be Silent, All Flesh – Zechariah 2:13



“Be silent, all flesh, before the LORD, for He is aroused from His holy habitation!”

The prophets Zechariah and Haggai both prophesied regarding the unfinished temple to the people that returned to Israel from captivity in Babylon.  The general approach by Zechariah was to encourage the people to continue in God’s work by reminding them of the coming Messiah.  In the book of Zechariah, the descriptions of the coming Messiah cover both the first and second coming.  Can you think of a better way to encourage God’s people to return to passionately serving God than to remind them of our Redeemer’s imminent return? 

In this particular passage, the description of the joyful coming of the Messiah also includes instructions for silence.  One would expect that we, His people, would be reverently silent and in awe as God comes to the earth to complete His mighty work.  But this instruction is to “all flesh.”  Such a momentous occasion is this that God’s enemies will be silenced.  “before God and his providence; the enemies of the church shall be silenced; all iniquity shall stop her mouth. The friends of the church also must be silent. Leave it to God to take his own way, and neither prescribe to him what he should do nor quarrel with him whatever he does. Be still, and know that he is God.  Stand still, and see his salvation.  Silently acquiesce in his holy will, and patiently wait the issue, as those who are assured that when God is raised up out of his holy habitation he will not retreat, nor sit down again, till he has accomplished his whole work.” (Matthew Henry)

The word ‘silence’ used here is NOT used in a descriptive sense such as we see following the opening of the seventh seal: “When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.” (Revelation 8:1)  Rather, this word in Zechariah is used as a command and is directed to all humans and animals (flesh) who dwell on earth.  It is the same word (Strong’s 02013, to hush, hold your peace, hold your tongue) used in Zephaniah when the day of the LORD is at hand.  “Be silent in the presence of the Lord GOD; For the day of the LORD is at hand, for the LORD has prepared a sacrifice; He has invited His guests.” (Zephaniah 1:7)  It is the same word used in Habakkuk, when the LORD is in His holy temple.  “But the LORD is in His holy temple.  Let all the earth keep silence before Him.”  (Habakkuk 2:20)

On that glorious day of our Lord’s return, of His second coming, there will be no arguing with Jesus.  There will be no ‘presenting your case’ in defense of rejecting His Way of salvation.  There will be no words worthy to be spoken to a holy God, in His holy temple in His holy land.  All flesh will be silenced in the presence of pure truth.  For those who have not been justified by the blood of Jesus Christ, His return will be a time of great fear and holy judgment.   

Friends, we plead with you to surrender to Jesus, receive His gift of eternal salvation, before it is too late.  Once Jesus leaves heaven to inhabit His holy temple on earth, it will be pencils down, exam over. 

If you are already God’s child, then we encourage you to quicken your work in His service.  Be diligent that your service will speak multitudes to Christ in the form of saved souls.   For those who have been justified by the blood of Jesus Christ, His return will be a time of awe and joy.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
(Matthew 5:8)

May you grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Friday, July 10, 2015

Elijah Confronts Ahab – 1 Kings 17:1



“And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, ‘As the LORD God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.’”

Elijah appears in scripture at one of the worst times for the northern kingdom.  Jeroboam had so angered God that God said Jeroboam’s lineage would cease to exist.  Yet here we have Ahab, whom God said was even more wicked than the previous kings.  Add to Ahab his severely wicked wife, Jezebel.  In their government, they supported the worship of the idol ‘Baal,’ and openly persecuted those who worshiped the One True God. 

What a bold man of God.  He stood before a vicious king and gave Ahab the news of a drought that would only end at his word.  Where did he get this boldness?  He lets us know.  Even though Elijah was standing before Ahab giving the news, he said that he stood before the LORD God of Israel.  Elijah’s strength came directly from the throne of God.  This statement is similar to one that we hear from Gabriel when he spoke to Zacharias: “And the angel answered and said to him, ‘I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings.’” (Luke 1:19)

We may be apt to think that Elijah had accomplished a spirituality that we cannot achieve, or that we shall never be as bold as Elijah.  But the Apostle Paul corrects us from any such excuses, saying “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.  And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.” (James 5:17-18)  A nature like ours, meaning Elijah fought his flesh just as we do.  He fought fears and passions.  There is no reason for us not to be as bold as Elijah. 

Jesus has given us the privilege of taking everything to the Throne in prayer.  When we surrender to Jesus and serve Him, he gives us access to stand before the throne of God.  He makes intercession for us as He sits at the right hand of God.  As in the time of Ahab and Jezebel, today we see wickedness increase, masked in the authority of government.  The news reminds us on a daily basis that the spirit of the anti-Christ is busy at work.  Pray to God that we all may be bold with the truth, openly proclaim to be one of Christ’s, and prepare the way for the Lord.

May you grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.